Guv sleeps on bills on univ, societies & more

 Guv sleeps on bills on univ, societies & more

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Julie.Mariappan@timesgroup.com

04.02.2022

Chennai: While Governor R N Ravi has sent back the NEET abolition bill to the Tamil Nadu government, little known is that he has been sleeping on a few other pieces of legislation that the state has forwarded for his action.

Among the bills the governor’s assent is awaited are amendments to the Cooperative Societies Act to reduce the term of the board of directors of societies from five years to three years. Most of the directors are AIADMK representatives elected in 2018, and the present government has sent the amendment legislation to the governor.

According to the present dispensation, there was large-scale misappropriation of funds that include loans given on fake jewels. The cooperatives departmenthadfiled police complaints seeking criminal action against offenders of six cooperative  banks on charges of fraud. “The Bill has been pending with the governor since January 12; there has been no word from Raj Bhavan,” said a government source.

Another under the governor’s pile is the draft Bill to set up a Siddha University for which the government had identified 20 acres on the Madhavaram dairy farm. Based on a proposal from the directorate of Indian medicine and homeopathy, the government prepared a draft bill and sent it to the governor on January 5. “The health department has been making efforts to set up the University in the annexe building of Arignar Anna Siddha Hospital in Arumbakkam. A file has been sent to the finance minister to sanction ₹  1. 98 crore towards expenditure on staff and infrastructure,”a government official said. Any Bill that involves expenditure from the consolidated fund of the state shall not be passed unless the governor recommends the consideration of the bill.

The governor is also silent on a bill sentin September last year to amend the Bharathiar University Act to include five members from the secretaries of the college committees of the affiliated private colleges (aided and self-financing) in the syndicate. “The bill was based on a court order and considering the re- quests of the association of self-financing arts, science and management colleges, in line with the Anna University Act,” said an official.

Raj Bhavan did not respond to TOI's attempts to get a reaction from the governor.